12-months of Daily Yoga: A Yogi's Review

A year ago, I incorporated yoga into my daily morning routine. Like making your cup of coffee or brushing your teeth, yoga became a daily habit. It took effort at first. I had to dial back my wake up time, figure out what worked for a morning yoga session and what did not, and stick with it to cultivate the daily habit. So, it begs the question, 12-months in, was it worth it? Have I really felt any different from a little morning movement? If cultivating a daily yoga practice is an item on your aspiration list, as it was mine, read on.

Let’s be clear, when I say “daily yoga,” I am not talking about a 60-minute sweaty vinyasa session complete with inversions and mind-boggling backbends. I am talking about 10-15 minutes (maybe 20 minutes if my schedule allows) of gentle movement: opening the body, introducing all planes of motion, connecting with the breath, and just being for a moment before the work day begins in all its hectic glory. As a yoga teacher, I’ve repeatedly read and preached the benefits of even a 10-minute daily yoga practice. “Even if all you have is 10-minutes, it’s worth it! You will see and feel a difference!” …But, in reality, I’d honestly never tested that theory. I took in faith that the health and exercise science research gurus had sorted that out. Tried and tested with empirical evidence, it must hold some truth. However, experience is a powerful testimony. Ten minutes seems so short, would I actually feel a difference? A material benefit? Even as someone who already has a yoga practice?

I do live an active lifestyle. If you’re at all acquainted with Yoga on the Rocks, it’s clear

Joshua and I are on-the-move people. We rock climb, hike, yoga, and enjoy all things outdoors. Unfortunately, we also have the normal life responsibilities, and work sedentary office jobs. So as much as we are active, the reality is, our 9-5 Monday to Friday lacks dynamic movement. I was craving more movement in my day. As someone who teleworks, I was also craving a division in my morning between personal life and work life. The intentionality of creating a healthy morning routine was born.  (Check out the article of how this habit started here: https://yogaontherocksva.wixsite.com/yogaontherocks/post/build-a-daily-practice)

Carving out time for my cup of tea, breakfast and devotional time was a natural add-on and re-kindling of old habits lost during the COVID craziness. One day feeling antsy at my desk, I thought, what if I started every day with movement? That way, regardless of how this day unfolds, I know I’ve done my body some good today. Realistically, my mornings are already packed. I remotely support project offices on the African continent who are already 6-8 hours ahead of me. My mornings start early, and are busy. I knew fitting in a long yoga session, even as appealing as that might sound, at this stage, was just not realistic. But, 10-15 minutes, I could do that.

Despite being a yoga teacher, I do love being led by other instructors, especially in the early morning hours when creative juices and motivation are running low. I found a couple free YouTube options with short, morning-friendly yoga classes. I set my alarm for earlier than normal and committed to trying this out for 1-week, no exceptions. Weeks turned to months, months turned to a year, and the habit stuck. It was not long before those 10-15 minutes were some of my favorites of the day. So, looking back now, here’s a yogi’s honest review of the benefits of a daily yoga practice.

Improved Mood

As I cultivated a regular yoga routine, I also slowed down my mornings. I took a breath. I came to my mat, and I settled down before the day’s craziness began. Knowing each day that these 10-15 minutes would be there gave me a sense of personal accomplishment before my first meeting. Taking time to connect with my breath and check in with my body put me in a better mental state before entering the work day. I activated the stress management side of my nervous system before stress even started. My mood in the morning and my outlook on the day ahead has been markedly improved by taking just a few minutes of yoga self-care every morning.

Improved Flexibility and Mobility

As someone with a regular yoga practice, I did not expect to see any tangible fitness gains from my new habit of daily yoga. However, a year-in, I truly believe incorporating a 10-15 minute yoga session each morning has increased my general mobility and flexibility. This has reflected in my evening practice and other workouts. Working out the kinks of a night of sleep has also decreased feelings of joint soreness and improved my muscle recovery time from other intense workouts. In my evening practice, I’ve observed it takes less time for my body to feel ready and primed for deeper postures, and my range of motion in familiar postures has improved.

Improved Body Awareness and Self-Regulation

Beyond the moments of active yoga practice, I find myself more aware of my posture and my breath throughout my day. Connecting with the body first thing in the morning has a trickle-down impact into my workday. I am more conscious of when I’ve been connected to my chair for long periods of time. I am more prone to take a moment to stretch, have a “standing meeting,” or “walk and think” to give myself a break from sitting. Even outside of work, I am better able to self-regulate aches and pains. I can more accurately pinpoint the source of tension in my body and do some self-therapy to work through it with yoga. I can easily discern a stress or fatigue headache which may be cured with some restorative yoga, a glass of water, or a shower from something needing a little more support to overcome.

Increased Productivity

Instead of rolling out of bed and logging on (telework temptations), I was taking the time to intentionally, and gently, wake up my body and mind. Breath and movement increase blood flow to all parts of the body and yoga breath work nourishes the brain. The result was a much more alert and ready version of myself once I did log on. I found myself ready to dive into emails, meetings, and tasks versus wasting the first hour or so of the day working myself into a work-ready state. 

In short, those 10-15 minutes of yoga on the front end of the day seem like a better use of time from every angle. If a daily yoga practice is a goal of yours, consider this a resounding endorsement. Experiment. Take 10-15 minutes for a week each day and see what happens. From one yogi to another, I hope you find as much benefit as I have.

Namaste.